UFC Fight Night 113: Fighter Rankings

The UFC train continues to roll on this weekend when UFC Fight Night 113 goes down Sunday afternoon at SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. The card features a number of Europe’s best MMA fighters, and here are my top-10 fighter rankings from a DraftKings perspective.

1. Gunnar Nelson ($8,900)

My top pick this weekend is Nelson, who fights Santiago Ponzinibbio in a five-round welterweight main event. Nelson has been nothing short of impressive in the UFC with a 7-2 record including six wins via submission. He has one of the most dangerous ground games in the sport, but he’s also proven to have a crafty striking attack on the feet including underrated power. I’m looking for Nelson to get this fight to the ground and finish Ponzinibbio with another submission for a huge fantasy night.

2. Jack Marshman ($9,200)

Another fighter I really like is Marshman, who fights Ryan Janes in a middleweight contest. To me, this looks like the UFC is setting up Marshman for a big win over a beatable opponent. Marshman has big-time KO power and his ground game should be enough to compete with Janes, who hasn’t been impressive at all in the Octagon. I’ll be looking for the Wales-based fighter to be buoyed by a partisan crowd and finish Janes with a brutal knockout early in the fight.

3. Danny Roberts ($9,100)

A welterweight bout sees Roberts take on Bobby Nash, and I really like Roberts in this fight. He’s 2-1 in the UFC so far and he’s shown he’s able to beat opponents on both the ground and on the feet. Nash has had only one UFC fight and he was brutally knocked out, and going up against a fighter with finishing ability like Roberts should prove to be a bad matchup for him. I think Roberts will land on Nash’s chin and knock him out for a big fantasy night.

4. Alexander Pantoja ($9,000)

A flyweight who I’m very high on is Pantoja, who fights veteran Neil Seery on the undercard. After losing an exhibition bout on season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, Pantoja won his UFC debut and overall he’s riding a 10-fight win streak. He’s a very talented young fighter and has a bright future in the sport. I think Pantoja is going to be too fast and too strong for the older Seery and dominate him over the course of 15 minutes to pick up the biggest win of his career to date.

5. Brett Johns ($9,300)

One of the top young prospects fighting on this card is Johns, who fights Albert Morales in a bantamweight contest. Johns is undefeated at 13-0 in his pro career, and I expect him to keep the streak going with a win over Morales. I believe Johns is better in every aspect of the game but especially on the ground, where I expect the majority of this fight to take place. Morales is tough, but I think Johns can get him to the mat and possibly even submit him.

6. Galore Bofando ($8,600)

Although he’s making his UFC debut and coming off of a long layoff, I really like Bofando to take out Charlie Ward in this welterweight bout. Prior to the UFC, almost all of Bofando’s wins are via stoppage, and as we saw in Ward’s UFC debut against Abdul Razak Alhassan he has an absolutely porous striking defense. If Bofando connects on Ward’s chin as I expect him to then he’s going to have a good chance of knocking him out and collecting a ton of fantasy points.

7. Stevie Ray ($8,100)

One of the better scraps on the card is a lightweight bout between Ray and Paul Felder, and I like Ray to get the win. With a 5-1 record in the UFC Ray has proven to be a consistent winner, and he’ll have the advantage of fighting in his native Scotland in this fight. Felder is a solid fighter but his defense is lacking, and Ray should be able to land a number of strikes on his opponent and collect a bunch of fantasy points within the three rounds.

8. Daniel Teymur ($9,000)

Another fighter making his UFC debut I like is Teymur, who takes on Danny Henry in a lightweight bout. Teymur is the brother of fellow UFC fighter David Teymur, and like his brother, he is a talented striker who comes from a great camp in Sweden. I think this is going to be a high-action affair, and I can see Teymur landing a lot of strikes within 15 minutes to score a bunch of points, although I’m not sure he gets the finish.

9. Paul Craig ($7,700)

One of the contrarian picks I like on the undercard is Craig, who fights Khalil Rountree in a light heavyweight contest. This is essentially a striker vs. grappler bout, and with Rountree being so weak on the ground, I like the grappler Craig in this particular matchup. If he can avoid Rountree’s early attack, Craig should be able to weather the storm and likely be able to find a submission later in the contest. Craig will also be fighting in his home country of Scotland which should give him another edge in this fight. At this cheap price, I see some value in him.

10. Joanne Calderwood ($7,400)

Another contrarian pick that I think has some value is Calderwood, who fights Cynthia Calvillo in the co-main event. I like Calvillo but I think Calderwood is being severely undervalued in this fight. She has way more experience in the UFC against higher-level competition, and she’s the far better striker if this fight stays standing. She also will have a massive contingent of fans backing her in Scotland. As a high-volume striker, Calderwood has the chance to rack up a lot of points, and at this price, she’s worth consideration.

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is MMAdamMartin) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.